Former Bohemians winger Ayman Ben Mohamed has said that he would like to draw Real Madrid in this month’s Fifa Club World Cup.
Ben Mohamed won the African Champions League with Tunisian side Esperance last month after a 3-0 win over Al-Ahly in the final.
Ben Mohamed moved to the Tunis based club in 2016 following three years in the League of Ireland with UCD, Longford Town and Bohemians respectively.
The 24-year-old was raised in Dublin but made his international debut for Tunisia in a 2-1 win over Niger in October and he’s hoping Esperance can draw three-time defending Champions League winners Real Madrid should they triumph over Al-Ain in Saturday’s second round in the UAE.
“Hopefully we do come up against Real Madrid,” Ben Mohamed, 24, told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s a good challenge. We’re very excited about coming up against the top teams.
“African teams in general don’t do well in the tournament. This year we’re going to try to be an exception.”
Born in London, Ben Mohamed is eligible to play for Tunisia through his father but moved to Dublin at the age of two and was reared in the Irish capital.
A Business, Economic and Social Studies student at Trinity College, he is still very proud of his Irish roots and considers himself Irish despite playing his international football abroad.
“I wouldn’t say I’m 100% Tunisian,” added the former Trinity College student. “At the end of the day my mother is Irish and I was raised in Ireland – and I’m proud of that.
“Although I play for the Tunisian national team I still consider myself Irish at the same time and I’m proud of that as well.”
